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The latest data from Strategy Analytics points to an unfortunate reality for Apple. The tech giant's once-groundbreaking iPad is losing ground quickly to Android.

In the second quarter of 2013, global tablet shipments reached 51.7 million units. Android's share? A staggering 67 percent. The iOS-powered iPad tumbled to just 28 percent of global shipments.

Windows also fell victim to Android as its global share dipped to 4.5 percent.

According to Peter King, Director of Tablets at Strategy Analytics, Android is now making steady progress due to hardware partners like Samsung, Amazon, Google and White-Box tablets.

"Apple iOS shipments were 14.6 million iPads in Q2 2013 which declined 14 percent annually," King reveals. "In the same quarter a year ago the first Retina display iPads were launched which could partly explain the decline as there were no new models in this quarter. However, to compensate that, iPad Mini which was not available a year ago, now freely available was expected to take the figure higher than 14.6 million."

I don't believe for a second these numbers are because of Samsung and Asus. Those companies still charge a relative premium for their products. These numbers are because of dirt cheap no-name tablets pumped out of China. Most people can't afford an iPad but they can sure afford a $129 piece of plastic crap. Yet Apple is making the lion's share of the profit despite slumping sales and that is their focus. Eroding their margins to boost their numbers is how the PC manufactures destroyed their business model. Only IBM seemed to make it out of that fiasco (mostly) unscathed. I'd say Apple is playing this right by keeping to the premium market.

It's articles like this that make me half heartly want Apple to open it's iOS to the masses and laugh as market share talks just tank b/c no one will want to brag about .000001 market share.

Samsung would rave about how their Si6 is the next best thing!

Then I remember that would hurt Apple too much since they are a hardware company more than a software company and that's why they keep control over their iOS.

apple should open up iOS to the masses, not to the competition but to its customers. but apple could open up some of its services to the competition. MS offers its goods to iOS & Android and Google offers its goods to MS & iOS but iOS feels its services are too good for other platforms.

if ever apple opened up iOS to other manufacturers that would spell certain doom for apple and the know it.

apple should open up iOS to the masses, not to the competition but to its customers. but apple could open up some of its services to the competition. MS offers its goods to iOS & Android and Google offers its goods to MS & iOS but iOS feels its services are too good for other platforms.

if ever apple opened up iOS to other manufacturers that would spell certain doom for apple and the know it.

imagine, iOS 7 on a Galaxy Note or HTC One.

iOS on any non-apple device would be scary. What services are you referring to them sharing with other platforms?

I don't believe for a second these numbers are because of Samsung and Asus. Those companies still charge a relative premium for their products. These numbers are because of dirt cheap no-name tablets pumped out of China. Most people can't afford an iPad but they can sure afford a $129 piece of plastic crap. Yet Apple is making the lion's share of the profit despite slumping sales and that is their focus. Eroding their margins to boost their numbers is how the PC manufactures destroyed their business model. Only IBM seemed to make it out of that fiasco (mostly) unscathed. I'd say Apple is playing this right by keeping to the premium market.

I really don't think so. As I said before, cheap Chinese no name tablets (otherwise known as whitebox) are what's inflating those numbers. Same thing goes with Android phone sales (though Samsung sells many dirt-cheap phones). When people have no money for a new iPhone, clearly the sound of buy one get one free for $49/$99 on contract for Android sounds pretty sweet. That's one way to compete, just not the most profitable.